By Martin Banks The European Union is introducing two important changes for travel to Europe in a few weeks. These are: EU Entry/Exit System (EES), which is planned to launch on 10 November in 2024 and European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS), due in mid-2025. For those planning to travel later this year the […]
By Martin Banks Over 500 participants took part in the 2024 Budapest Forum. They included government ministers, ambassadors, national politicians, academics and policy experts who gathered last week at the Central European University (CEU) in Hungary. The annual event, which seeks to find democratic solutions to challenges facing the world today, has grown in size […]
Βy Martin Banks The European Commission has taken what it calls “a decisive step” in reinforcing support for Ukraine by proposing a comprehensive financial assistance package. This, it has been revealed, consists of a Ukraine Loan Cooperation Mechanism of up to €45 billion, and an exceptional Macro-Financial Assistance (MFA) loan of up to €35 billion. […]
By Martin Banks MEPs are calling on the EU to speed up financial aid for victims of the devastating floods affecting a quarter of European countries. Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, Hungary, Romania and Germany have all been hit by extreme weather conditions, resulting in the deaths of 23 people. MEPs say the loss of […]
By Martin Banks Two new hotels have opened close to Brussels airport, helping meet increased demand from the travelling public. A relative lack of accommodation at, or close to, the national airport has sometimes been a cause of complaint from international air passengers. However, the twin openings hope to go some way to addressing such […]
By Martin Banks Former Italian PM Mario Draghi has outlined his ambitious blueprint for improving Europe’s competitiveness through “closer cooperation” in core areas and massive investment in shared objectives. Draghi is the author of a major report on European competitiveness commissioned by Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission. Draghi, the ex […]
By Martin Banks The new-look European Commission has been unveiled by its president Ursula von der Leyen. Outlining the new team to MEPs in Strasbourg on Tuesday, the German official told deputies that gender balance had been uppermost in her thoughts. The college, as it is formally called, comprises 11 women, 40 per cent of […]
By Imane Belguenani (Brussels MP) The two-year postponement of the next phase of the LEZ (the low emission zone) in Brussels is not a proposal burdened with community-based issues. I am Dutch-speaking and co-submitted the proposal. So why is it, as we say in Belgium, being “played out as a community issue”? Let’s go back […]
By Martin Banks Panto preparations in September? Oh yes they are It must, surely, be too early to talk about pantomine? Oh no it isn’t. Yes, preparations for that much-loved of English traditions – the panto – are back in full swing. The panto season does not actually start until nearer Christmas but, as they […]
By Martin Banks More than 700 workers “united” on Tuesday in front of the European Parliament, Strasbourg, France, to call upon the EU institutions for urgent action to stop exploitation in subcontracting chains and labour intermediation. The European action was organised by the EFBWW (European Federation of Building and Woodworkers), EFFAT (the European Federation of […]
